LONDON, November 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Elsevier Supports Impactful Technology at HIMSS Europe 2016  

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is proud to recognise organisations for outstanding achievements in the implementation and usage of health information and technology that truly improves patient care and safety, via the HIMSS-Elsevier Digital Healthcare Award for Outstanding ICT Innovation.

This award, announced at the HIMSS Europe Conference on 20^th November, recognises projects from across Europe that either harness the application of information within a healthcare setting, thus setting a new standard for patient management and care.

Four organisations have been shortlisted for this award, including:

Centro Hospitalar de São João, Portugal - the advanced analytics system, HVITAL (Health SurVeillance, MonIToring and ALert) monitors and assesses clinical data from across hospital systems to automatically identify (and more importantly alert health professionals) patients at risk with regard to clinical deterioration and infection management. This allows health professionals to prioritise patient care and speed up the rate of intervention. Up to 30% of intensive care admissions are now predicted at least seven days in advance - allowing better management of valuable resources.

Devon Partnership NHS Trust, UK - development of MyWard, a visual electronic whiteboard, the first in a mental health care setting on the UK. The aim of MyWard is to streamline patient management process, in order to reduce the administrative burden on staff as well as ensure clinical care is delivered in a timely manner and all information relating to patients is viewable, in real time, via one source.

Gobierno Del Principado de Asturias, Spain - the establishment of a tele-ophthalmology service, including full integration with electronic medical records (a first in Spain). This new service ensures that all patients (even in this largely rural setting) with diabetes receive appropriate screening for diabetic retinopathy promptly, with a multi-disciplinary team of nurses, primary care physicians and ophthalmologists analysing images.

Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, UK - the implementation of a pathology recognition alert (comprising recognition and treatment guidance) within the Electronic Patient Record system aims to reduce the high mortality rate from acute kidney injury through earlier recognition and treatment. Audits show that, from a pre-implementation rate of less than 30%, this new protocol achieves 100% identification of patients with acute kidney injury.

"Technology is critical to allowing health systems to adapt to changes in demand and demographics," said Dr. Peter Edelstein, Chief Medical Officer at Elsevier and chair of the judging panel. "The shortlisted projects not only streamlined services but, crucially, delivered real improvements to patients. That is the outcome we are looking to achieve and the real value of innovation."

2016 marks the first year Elsevier has expanded its support of the award to Europe, having previously supported the Asia Pacific region for four years and the Middle East region twice since 2015. It reflects Elsevier's on-going commitment to supporting healthcare providers to continually evolve to meet the needs of a changing population. All the shortlisted projects use robust data and insight to streamline systems, and make better use of healthcare practitioner skills in order to better manage patients and improve clinical outcomes.

The winner will be announced on 20^th November during an exclusive award ceremony at HIMSS WoHIT in Barcelona, Spain.

About Elsevier 

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions - among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Research Intelligence and ClinicalKey - and publishes over 2,500 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and more than 35,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a world-leading provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com

Media contact
Christopher Capot
Director, Corporate Relations, Elsevier
+1 917 704 5174
c.capot@elsevier.com

SOURCE Elsevier